I thought I was safe, surrounded by friends. Phantom Lord was after us, but we planned to stick together. Safety in numbers, right? But it was not enough. He was too strong....

Later, I wouldn't remember the trip to the park or how we were hung on a tree—a showy display in order to start a war between our guilds. I'm glad. I don't want to know the details. They told us who did it, though. It was him—the iron dragon slayer. My teammates and I swore we would never forgive him.

...So, why? Why do I have feelings for him?

He hurt me. He humiliated me. No. Not just me. Lucy, Natsu, Jet, Droy...my guild, Fairy Tail. I take pride in how we defeated Phantom Lord. But, after the fact, Makarov showed mercy and let him join our guild. How could he? Does he not realize the affect it will have on everyone? On me? I have spent days, weeks looking over my shoulder, waiting for a hidden phantom to strike again. Now, I will enter the guild hall with the same trepidation....

Jet and Droy promised that they will protect me and I'm grateful, but that didn't do much good the last time. Not long after he joined, they confronted him. It was easy; too easy. He was holding back. And then, when Laxus appeared, the situation spun out of control. I could have been hurt, but he protected me—then, and again at Kardia Cathedral.

Something in me changed. I'd always seen him as monster—a fiend that strikes when your back is turned. But when I saw him fighting for our guild, I realized that there was more to him than meets the eye. As the days go by, these feelings grow stronger.

Trust has been a long time coming, but now, when I see him, I'm not afraid. When I think of him—of Gajeel—I feel safe. I no longer think of him as the shadow in the alley, waiting to pounce. He is a shield of iron, always protecting me when things get tough. Gajeel is a proud member of Fairy Tail—an ally, a friend...